Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Chris
started with Johnny's in 1998 with over five years of experience working on
market farms and in the fresh vegetable retail trade. He has enjoyed growing
vegetables, herbs, and flowers for over 40 years. Chris has more than 15 years'
experience helping growers in Canada and international markets, during which he
has remained current with emerging farming techniques and acquired extensive
knowledge of existing markets. He has helped many growers to become more
efficient and successful while building a strong relationship between the
grower and Johnny's Selected Seeds.

“Johnny’s now offering Standard
Shipping to our Canadian customers means that they’re able to place an order on
our website or through our Contact Center and receive the same rates that we
offer our customers in the United States*.You now have the option to choose the Standard Shipping rate indicated for
the value of your order (see chart to the
right). This is a huge change for Canadian
customers! Before now, you could place an order on our website but a
Johnny’s customer service representative would have had to contact you and let
you know the various shipping options available for your order. Now, if you
choose Standard Shipping as your shipping method, you can simply place your
order online, see the applicable Standard Shipping chart, and you can continue
to check out on the website with confidence that your order will be shipped via
the Post Office and arrive shortly; no phone call is required before your order
ships.**

“In
the many years I have been working with Canadian growers, I’ve heard complaints
that placing an order was sometimes difficult because a customer had to make a
choice of various shipping methods. Now that our shipping process has been
streamlined, our Contact Center staff is able to spend more time interacting
with you about the things that are important to you, such as your choice of
products, rather than the issue of shipping logistics.

We
are confident this will improve the shopping experience on Johnnyseeds.com, as
well as placing an order via the phone or by mail, for our Canadian customers. We
are looking forward to your feedback on this new process. This change was
prompted by our customer- your input is very valuable to us. Please do not
hesitate to let us know how you think this new process is working.”

Friday, December 20, 2013

Each year about this time, we sit back and look at the
growing season; what worked and what didn’t, as well as what could stand some
improvement. We also consider the challenges we may face in the next growing
season. Some things like weather and pests are give ins each year, but other
large issues that only surface once in a while for a grower - and how they’re
approached- will determine your level of success that season. A varied list of
challenges await all farmers each growing season and to assess them now, and
come up with a thought-out plan of approach, will hopefully lessen the effects
of these issues in the busy Spring planting season ahead.

I’ve outlined below some challenges we faced in the 2013
growing season and how we plan on overcoming these issues in the upcoming year.

Soil:

This was a big issue in 2013. A part of this was getting
our compost and fertilizers delivered and spread on time; supply problems you
could say. For compost, we had four suppliers and of these four suppliers one
had weed issues, one had rocks in the compost, and one had delivery problems.
The fourth was the most expensive, but they have an excellent product and their
delivery schedule is second to none. If I needed 300 yards for Monday morning,
when I got to work on Monday there would be six 50-yard trailer dumps waiting
to unload. The best product and best service gets my vote. All of our compost
for 2014 has been delivered and will be ready to spread when we are next
spring.

We use pelletized chicken manure for our organic fertilizer.
We have been purchasing from a company which also spreads the product. With our
dry, then wet Spring, we had many problems getting our fertilizer spread in
time to do our fieldwork. In early May, when the field conditions were fairly
dry, the supplier first couldn’t get the product and then didn’t have time to spread
it before the heavy rains arrived. When everything else finally cooperated, the
spreader truck was out of commission. The end of May found us scrambling to
fertilize, prepare the soil, lay the plastic, and plant all in a rather
frenzied procession. For 2014, we purchased our own new fertilizer spreader
which holds four tons (our old one held 600 pounds). I will order our soil
amendments (based on soil test results) this month so we’ll have them on hand
come February 15th. The advantages of this include having adequate
supplies on hand, being able to spread in that early season window if we have
one, not having to worry about the roads being weight posted, and lastly, being
able to haul 4 tons of material instead of 600 pounds. Loading one- ton bags
will be faster and easier than using 50 pounders too. Four tons will cover
eight acres so many fields can be spread with one load instead of many.

Weeds:

Weeds are a constant challenge in any farming system. In
our squash and pumpkin trials and nurseries, we like to leave a bed between
planted beds so it’s easier to trace the vines for accuracy in determining
which fruit go with which vine. This amounts to approximately ten feet of space
between the strips of plastic in which weeds like to grow. Weed control while
the plants are small is relatively easy; it’s once the vines come out into the
open and are between the beds that weed control becomes difficult. The vines
make it nearly impossible to mechanically cultivate the areas with weeds. A few
years back, we started using hay mulch for weed control; a good idea but
fraught with drawbacks.The labor it
takes to roll out and spread 350 large round bales of hay is a tremendous
amount. To put in perspective, it takes approximately 320 hours. The thickness at which it rolls out varies
with how the hay was baled and what type of grass it was. A thin grass, like
annual bluegrass, rolls out to a 3-4 inch depth whereas a swale grass can be a
foot thick. Therefore, the bale may cover two hundred feet, or it may cover only
fifty.

This year we purchased a straw shredder which unrolls and
shreds the bales before spreading them onto the field. We took delivery of this
unit last month and did some testing in the field to try it out. It will put
down a uniform layer of hay mulch to four hundred linear feet twelve feet wide.
Two people should easily be able to spread 3 acres a day; therefore all of the
work will be finished in less than three days.

Another success from 2013 was widening out the rows of crops
on plastic that have row covers on them. We cover our peppers to prevent cross
pollination and to give the plants some protection from the harsh Spring
elements.We use wire hoops to keep the
row covers up off the plants, however. This also prevents us from cultivating
the peppers as we don’t have a tractor tall enough to straddle the covered
rows. By spacing out the rows to allow us to go between them with our smallest
tractor, as well as a four foot tiller, we can now cultivate out the weeds all
season long. It uses a bit more room this way but saves a tremendous amount of
hand labor, which we can always use somewhere else. We’ve used this spacing for
years in our tomatoes to facilitate equipment for spraying so the setup was
easy to figure out. This allows more crops with wider spacing for next year; at
least the ones with row covers.

The Land Base:

You can almost
never have enough good land to have a good rotation plan. If we had 35% more
land than we need in any given year, think how much we could put into cover
crops and devote to rotation plans. Last year I added a twelve-acre field and
this year I added seventeen more. I think that’s good for a while. We’ve got a
couple of small land projects that will add another four acres of good soil. Many
of our fields need work to become productive again so this is where we’ll focus
some of our attention in the upcoming years. We added a couple thousand feet of
drain tile this year and have some stumping to do next year, so it looks like
we’ll be busy in 2014 too. Farming is always busy!

The Weather:

No, I can’t control the weather. All we can do is prepare
for the worst and enjoy the best. We do everything we can in the previous Fall
so we don’t have to do it in the Spring. Two years running we’ve been on the
fields earlier than ever before, and then we got constant rains which put us
behind. Once you get behind, it’s pretty hard to catch up and stay caught up.
This year we’re implementing a seven day work week schedule. No, not seven days
in a row but rather spreading out the work to seven days instead of five. It’s
just too hard to schedule the same two days a week off for everyone. We work
hard all week then everything stops for two days then we’re back at it for
another round on Monday.

I realize not everyone wants to work only on sunny days and
have rainy days off. Me neither, but I do want to get the work done, and if we
have the optimum weather conditions and it just happens to be a weekend- we’re
going to work. And, if we get heavy rains during planting season, I know we
have done everything possible to get the crops planted correctly and on time.
At all costs, try to be ready for Spring long before it gets here.

Lastly, one final thing I think will make a big difference
to the folks working on the farm, is for me to spend more time in the field and
less in the office. I like being in the field; that’s where I started. I can do
everything here that needs to be done, and more importantly I can train folks
how to do the tasks we need to do. I researched most of the equipment here; in
fact I bought most of it, and know how best to use it to achieve the results
we’re looking for. I know the funny little nuances and quirks of the equipment
and tractors. I know how to cultivate and plow and spread compost and so on. I
also know how I want it done. I want it done to the same high standards we do
everything here at Johnny’s. I’m sure the farm crew will enjoy more of my
presence in the field in 2014.

Friday, December 6, 2013

We recently interviewed Wes Hannah, the Communications Coordinator and Organizer for The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC). Below, he gives some background information on the NYFC including what the organization offers, and sheds light on valuable resources, for young farmers everywhere.

• Can you give us a brief description of what The
National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) does?

NYFC is a grassroots coalition dedicated to representing,
engaging and mobilizing young and begining farmers and ranchers to work toward their successIn our advocacy work, we
bring the young farmer voice to the table on federal policy discussions.In areas ranging from USDA programming to
food safety regulations, NYFC makes sure the next generation receives the
support it needs to be successful.At
the same time, we work with farmers around the country to organize local
coalitions.These affiliated groups
organize for mutual aid in everything from social networking to labor sharing
to group purchasing of supplies.

• What resources do you think are most valuable for
young farmers to explore?

We have the privilege to interact with thousands of farmers
at all different stages in their careers.I would say the most valuable realization that young farmers have is
that there is an immense amount of knowledge out there, whether on the
production side or the business side.The key is recognizing your needs and reaching out; we see connections
developing all the time between beginning farmers and their cooperative
extension agents, more experienced farmers, and especially between each other.

At the same time, I think there are some specific resources
that we heartily recommend more young farmers should explore.We've worked with land trusts around the
country looking at the way they combine their conservation focus with
incentivizing land transfer to a younger generation.While there's a lot more that can be done,
young farmers need to be reaching out to land resources like that.

Additionally, there are great programs out there from the
USDA and state governments designed to support education and land access for
younger farmers.The more demand we as a
movement can show for those programs, the more we'll be able to successfully
push for improving and increasing them.

• What are the some of the biggest challenges that
young farmers face?

That question lies at the core of NYFC's mission.When NYFC first formed, we conducted a survey
of over 1,000 young and beginning farmers, asking them that very question.The greatest challenges young farmers are
facing are land access, lack of capital and credit, and access to
healthcare.

The cost and availability of land is an enormous issue for
beginning farmers, especially given that many do not come from farming
backgrounds.We've seen a huge increase
in land prices over the past decade, along with a concentration of land in the
hands of older farmers.These together
mean that the next generation is facing a tougher time in acquiring the land
they need to start successful businesses.

Starting a farm can be an expensive proposition, so the
concern over lack of capital is not surprising.We've seen many new farmers turning to vegetable production over animals
or other enterprises because of the lower start-up costs.Despite the USDA programs designed to help
them, many beginning farmers still struggle with accessing those basic needs
for their new operations.

Finally, healthcare tends to be a huge problem.Farming is one of the most dangerous
professions in the country, and because many new farmers are self-employed, many
of them can't afford health insurance.We have heard numerous stories of on-farm accidents that put a huge
financial strain on a farm because of that problem.

• What do you think are some of The National Young
Farmers Coalition biggest triumphs over the past year?

NYFC has been taking on a number of different issues, from
pushing for the passage of a pro-farmer farm bill to analyzing the way land
trusts interact with beginning farmers.One recent triumph is our food safety campaign.Earlier this year, the FDA released their
draft of new food safety regulations for produce farms and facilities.This was the first time those laws were
rewritten in nearly seventy years, and there are huge long-term ramifications
for how they affect beginning farmers, as well as the entire agricultural
community.

NYFC worked with a coalition of other organizations in
poring over the rules and producing a comprehensive analysis.We worked with our affiliates and members
around the country to organize the National Day of Action to Save Local Farms,
a grassroots project designed to compile hundreds of comments to the FDA before
their comment period closes.To date,
we've organized over seventy letter-writing parties in thirty states, and we
are confident that we can effect positive change in the FDA's regulations.

• What are some of the perks of being a NYFC member
for young farmers?

Being involved with NYFC means being a part of a nation-wide
community of beginning farmers who share resources, organize in local
coalitions and advocate for each other.Being a part of that community means creating better systems that will
improve conditions for all farmers everywhere.

At the same time, we know that farmers need immediate
support in their careers.That's why
we've worked with more than a dozen agriculture-related companies to provide
useful discounts to help out right now.NYFC members have access to 5% off
at Johnny's Selected Seeds, 10% off Working Person's Store and many other great
deals.

Social media is a huge part of NYFC's work.The coalition's organizing and advocacy
successes depend on the activism and enthusiasm of thousands of our
supporters.We rely on the viral energy
of beginning farmers to spread the word and recruit each other.While in-personmeet-ups and conversations form the backbone
of farmer organizing, social media often jump-starts our outreach and allows us
to stay connected with countless young farmers on a regular basis.

• What are some of the biggest misconceptions people
tend to have about getting into farming?

There is a common conception of agriculture in America as
been focused only on large mono-culture farms.The truth is, the farming community in this country is incredibly
diverse, from the small-scale, intensive vegetable farms and dairy operations
to the massive tracts of wheat and corn.There is a place for every newcomer to find success, regardless of their
passion.

• What’s the best way for someone to learn more about
the work that the The National Young Farmers Coalition does?

The first step is to check out NYFC's website at
youngfarmers.org!We have more
information about the growing beginning farmer community and how to get
involved.We also have resources and
databases for more information, and regular updates on the NYFC blog.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Our second Commercial Sales team
blog comes from Ken Fine, Commercial Sales Rep for Massachusetts and the
Northern Midwest. Here’s some background information on Ken:

Ken has worked with commercial
growers at Johnny's Selected Seeds since 1999. Prior to coming to
Johnny’s, Ken studied as an apprentice at the UCSC Farm and Garden Project
in Santa Cruz, CA. He then operated a 3 acre Market Garden in coastal Maine,
selling specialty lettuce and produce to area stores and restaurants. He likes
to stay current with successful farming techniques, trends in consumer
interest, and the best varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers available.

Current sales territory:Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

For his
blog topic, Ken has taken the opportunity to describe a few of the farm-based organizations that help foster
constructive change in their local communities. These types of organizations
can be found throughout the U.S, creating sustainable alternatives in our food
system and helping people - especially young people - be inspired and experience
personal growth by growing food.

THE FOOD
PROJECT- MASSACHUSETTS

Recently I
received news of the year-end harvest dinner at one of Johnny’s long-term customers. The Food Project in Massachusetts celebrates the achievements of
the staff and volunteers at the many Food Project facilities in Lincoln,
Dorchester, Beverly, and elsewhere.Atthe 2nd
Annual Gala - Celebrate the Harvest event, the organization featured guest Will
Allen of Growing
Power. According
to theFood Project website,their mission is to “grow
a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse
backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. We produce
healthy food for residents of the city and suburbs and provide youth leadership
opportunities...”

MOUNTVIEW FARM:

Sometimes,
one farm can make a huge impact. Founded by Michael Docter as Food Bank Farm in
Hadley, MA, the good work of growing food for the benefit of the community has continued into
the next generations there.Apprentices from Food Bank Farmhave
gone on to start their own CSA programs serving thousands of subscribers in
Massachusetts. One apprentice, Benjamin Perrault of Mount
View Farm in Easthampton has carried on another tradition. His bustling
farm still plants a portion of their acreage specifically to produce first
quality vegetables for The Food Bank
of Western Mass.

According
to their website: “Mountain View Farm leases a large parcel of land owned by
The Food Bank and, in exchange, we provide 100,000 pounds of fresh, local,
chemical-free produce to The Food Bank for distribution to front-line food
assistance providers and people in need throughout our region. In Berkshire,
Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties in Western Massachusetts,
approximately one in every ten people suffers from chronic food shortages or
needs emergency food assistance.”

Mount View Farm in Massachusetts

GROWING POWER -
WISCONSIN

AtGrowing Power, based in
Milwaukee, WI, founder Will Allen does more than make inspirational keynote
speeches. The many facilities powered by staff and volunteers of all ages and
backgrounds are growing tremendous quantities of quality farm produce that goes
directly to the people of urban Milwaukee who need it most. In fact, one of the
missions of Growing Power is to
alleviate the perils of living in a “Food Desert” that traps so many urban
residents.

Established
in 1993, Growing Powerhasoffered agricultural-based training, hands-on experience to community
members, and spread their mission that you “cannot have healthy communities
without a healthy food system.”

Growing Power High Tunnel full of Greens

DETROIT,
MICHIGAN-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

Another
rapidly expanding healthy food movement location is Detroit, Michigan. There,
staff and volunteers of Greening of Detroit,Earthworks
Farm, and countless other small community projects are utilizing
available land within the city to make a difference. Healthy food and healthy
lifestyle choices are becoming available to thousands in the community who are
eagerly embracing the delights of farming and gardening.

To
learn more about any of these organizations or to locate one near where you
live, follow these links or get in touch with me for more information.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Dear friends and customers,
On behalf of Johnny's Selected Seeds, we invite you to join us in sharing your opinion with the FDA regarding new Produce Food Safety Rules and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

We recognize that most of you will be touched by the proposed changes, in some cases dramatically. While the day-to-day demands of farming may keep us running from sun-up to sundown, when it comes to legislation that places the very livelihoods of many farmers across our country in jeopardy, it's time to express your well-earned opinions.

To learn more about the rules and leave your comments, visit Regulations.gov. To date, the grower's voice is underrepresented. With your input, the FDA will get the "real dirt" as to just how the specifics of this proposed legislation -- constituting the largest food safety overhaul in more than 70 years -- could impact your farming operations.

We encourage you to speak up now -- the FDA's comment period closes November 15th!

By taking the time to participate in the discussion now, you can make a real difference in the long run. And again, thank you for choosing Johnny's as your source for seeds and more -- we look forward to serving you for many years to come.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

This 10-minute film serves as a brief overview of Johnny's Selected Seeds. It includes a discussion of corporate philosophy, customer service, plant breeding, company history, employee ownership, product development, marketing, and international sales.

The video features several short interviews with Johnny's Chairman and Founder Rob Johnston, Jr. and Eliot Coleman, along with a few Johnny's customers and employees.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Did you know we have a chart that allows you to select tools expressly designed for specific lettuce production practices? Gain efficiency and optimal results in lettuce culture, from sowing to harvest.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Here at Johnny's, we are often asked about the return on investment (ROI) for greenhouse crops. Seed for greenhouse varieties is typically priced higher than seed for field-grown varieties, and in this case we believe you get what you pay for. The breeding and development of protected-culture varieties is more specialized and involved, and the return should be sufficient to justify the extra investment required on the part of the breeder as well as the grower.

If what you really want to know is, Why so much more money for this greenhouse variety?, Andrew Mefferd, former Product Technician for cucumbers here at and a seasoned greenhouse grower himself, has some answers for you.﻿﻿

Bottom line, ROI and profitability will typically be higher for greenhouse cucumbers than field-grown cucumbers. One key reason is because yields from greenhouse cucumbers are higher as a result of the optimized growing environment. In particular, it’s warmer, so plants grow in their optimal temperature range more of the time or even all of the time.

If you harvest just one more pound of cucumbers from a greenhouse variety than you would from a field variety, the seed will have paid for itself. Because you can ask a higher price for greenhouse crops at market, selling even just one extra fruit can sometimes cover the cost of the seed investment.

Greenhouse varieties are higher yielding because they are selected for the specific environmental conditions within greenhouses and hoophouses. They are, for example, selected for resistance to diseases that can be problematic in protected culture. This allows them to stay healthier and produce over a longer period of time within that environment.

Greater Control of the Environment

Within the greenhouse environment, plants are provided not just more optimal temperatures but also optimal water through irrigation, rather than being reliant on rainfall, which can set plants back when there is too much or not enough.

Pests can be minimized in the greenhouse with the use of preventive measures such as insect screening and trellising. Ground insects or slugs that might feed on field cucumbers will not typically crawl up a plant to feed on fruits that are elevated off the ground. When you have fewer plants damaged by pests, you’re left with more marketable crops to sell.

It’s important to note that greenhouse varieties often have better flavor because produce from a sickly plant that is inadequately photosynthesizing is just not likely to taste as good as produce from a healthy, greenhouse-grown plant.

A greater range of cucumber varieties can be grown indoors than outdoors. These include long, European types and more of the seedless, thin-skinned types. One key reason for this is because they’re protected from bugs indoors, which is especially important for seedless, thin-skinned types, which are more susceptible to pests due to their thin skin.

Crop Cycle Time

Greenhouse cucumbers are relatively quick to start bearing. Some early varieties can start yielding fruit as early as 45 days after being transplanted.

As noted above, cucumber plants also live much longer in the greenhouse than in the field. A field-grown crop might bear for one month before the plants get tired out, and disease and pests take over, whereas it is more typical for greenhouse cucumber crops to last several months.

Other Considerations

For greenhouse growers at high latitudes (like those of us here in Maine), it’s important to note that it can be very challenging to grow cucumbers through the winter — but it can be done. They require a lot of heat and also require supplemental lighting. Even without lights, however, your cucumber season can be extended well beyond the beginning and the end of the typical field cucumber season.

Lastly, it is important to research which varieties your market wants most. If what your markets demand are slicers or slender, Japanese cucumbers, be sure to grow those, rather than focusing efforts on picklers or the long, European types. Time spent researching your market will pay off, when it comes to bottom-line ROI.

We hope this helps you evaluate the potential return on investment for greenhouse cukes. For additional information, visit Johnny’s website:

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Growing Ideas with Johnny's Selected Seeds

About the blog: Here's what's growing on at Johnny's Selected Seeds! We'll answer your questions, let you know what's happening at the farm, and give you plenty of ideas for growing and gardening.Johnny's Mission: To help families, friends, and communities to feed one another by providing superior seeds, tools, information, and service.